Abstract
This thesis observes the use of the prototypically functioning impersonal and objective rhetorical structure of extraposition in a corpus-based study of Norwegian leaners of English. Both contrastive and contrastive interlanguage analyses are applied to the consideration of whether the learner group in the Norwegian subcomponent of the International Corpus of Learner English (ICLE) have acquired the norms of native English speaker (NSE) academic writing in the use of extraposition and whether the learners exhibit transfer of word order patterns from their Norwegian L1. Other factors hypothesised to influence the advanced learners argumentative writing are considered, including developmental considerations, which implicate further corpora comparisons with other NSE student writers and furthermore, comparisons with other interlanguage groups (in this case corpus samples are obtained from Chinese (Cantonese) and French L1 learner writers. The corpora are variably controlled for task and learner factors, however aspects of these variable contexts of production are expected to influence the Norwegian learners writing. One such variable is evidenced in register-interference (from conversation- seen also in previous studies of Scandinavian writer's overuse of various features of the spoken mode, including overuse of subjective stance marking), and other factors derivative of the task setting (such as the timed or untimed nature of the settings of student writing, and also the topic and genre-sensitivity of extraposition).
The basic transfer hypothesis predicts the Norwegian learners will overuse extraposition, based on previous contrastive observations of increased tendencies in the theme position (in the Hallidayan sense of the sentence initial clause) of lighter themes and more frequent formal subjects (such as anticipatory it in subject it-extraposition) in Norwegian language by comparison to English word order patterns: do the Norwegians use Norwegian patterns in their written English argumentation? (cf. Hasselgård 2009). A critical aspect of the methodological model followed (the Integrated Contrastive Model) involves the discernment of the question of whether the Norwegian learners hypothesised overuse of extraposition is a particular feature of this L1 group, or whether other interlanguage groups show similar patterns of use. In the examination of other subcorpora of ICLE (also referring to the Swedish learner component), it became possible to observe an axis of variation over subjective and objective patterns of non-prototypically functional use by learners from different cultural backgrounds with the French and Scandinavian learners expressing more interactive, personal modes of authorial stance in their patterns of use of extraposition. By contrast the Chinese authorial presence would seem to be less interactive, although this group used less extrapositions by contrast to the other learner groups. One explanation has been offered regarding this personal (cf. subjective) mode of Scandinavian argumentation, in relating to their preferred oral patterning of argumentation. The findings supported the transfer hypothesis, and the description of the overuse by the Norwegian learner writers was informed qualitatively by an analysis of register interference, as well as evidence from a collated corpus sample of argumentative writing in Norwegian. Developmental explanations for the advanced learner groups' use of the English rhetorical structuring device, were not supported in the findings.